20 best sci-fi movies on Netflix to escape reality in 2023

The beauty of science fiction is how it can take shape in endless ways on screen. When you look at the types of sci-fi narratives that filmmakers have explored in movies, it’s hard to deny the fact that it’s one of the most unique, versatile, and exciting genres of all time

Whether you want to be transported to a world of futuristic innovations, a dystopia where the fate of the planet depends on an intergalactic mission, or a small town where a mysterious outbreak unleashes ghastly monsters, sci-fi has you covered. We’ve rounded up the very best sci-fi movies you can enjoy on Netflix, from heroic YA thrillers to grounded dramas, political take-downs to wacky spins on superhero tropes, and all with varying degrees of imaginative science fiction.

1. The Platform

Credit: Netflix

If you like scathing social commentary and twisted horror with your sci-fi, The Platform is just the thing. This Spanish anti-capitalist parable takes place in a vertical prison facility where inhabitants are staggered across 300 levels. Each day a platform full of decadent food is lowered from top to bottom, allowing prisoners to eat as much as they want. But the food doesn’t get replenished, leaving the middle and lowest rungs of people — some elderly and young children — without any sustenance. Locked up and starving, many are forced into cannibalism to survive. 

A horrific and bleak commentary on class, wealth inequality, and the prison industrial complex, The Platform is a testament to the power of sci-fi to reflect the horrors of the realities around us. Also, while the food does look delicious in this movie, definitely avoid eating while watching. — Oliver Whitney, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: The Platform is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

2. The Wandering Earth

Disaster movie fiends, may I introduce you to the ultimate bonkers space disaster film? In this Chinese sci-fi epic, the Earth is in big trouble, so much so that to avoid total climate annihilation from an aging sun about to engulf our planet, a group of astronauts are tasked with flinging the planet into another solar system. Not insane enough? Now the planet is on track to collide with Jupiter.

Take the extreme doomsday chaos of a Roland Emmerich film, the emotional weight of a planet-saving mission and glorious visuals of Interstellar, and the racing suspense of Gravity, and you get one hell of a sci-fi film. It’s no wonder The Wandering Earth became one of the highest grossing Chinese films in the country’s history. — O.W.

How to watch: The Wandering Earth is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

3. Minority Report

Credit: 20th Century Fox/Dreamworks/Kobal/Shutterstock

Steven Spielberg’s expansion of Philip K. Dick’s 1956 short story remains one of best and most exciting sci-fi action films of the 2000s. Set in the year 2054, murder is now prevented due to a system of psychic monitoring via a trio of beings known as “precogs.” But when a new premonition suggests that Pre-Crime Chief Officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is about to kill someone, Anderton escapes, kidnaps one of the precogs (Samantha Morton), and goes on a hunt for the truth.

Over 20 years later, Minority Report still holds up. Not only is it a testament to Spielberg’s adept hand at crafting heart-racing suspense (the vertical highway chase scene still hits), but its desaturated chrome visuals still feel like a distinct and fresh look at the future. The film’s commentary on the dangers of a mass surveillance police state, not to mention the spot-on prediction of personalized algorithm marketing, also remain as prescient as ever. — O.W.

How to watch: Minority Report is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

4. Psychokinesis

In Psychokinesis, Train To Busan director Yeon Sang-ho takes an alternative approach to the superhero narrative — in place of the usual explosive world-saving, he tells an intimate story about a father, his daughter, and a group of business owners fighting corruption. 

Seok-heon (Ryu Seung-ryong from Miracle in Cell No. 7) has been an absent father for years. But just as his estranged daughter Roo-mi (Shim Eun-kyung) hits her absolute lowest, a supernatural force, shot down to Earth via a comet, zaps into the spring water he happens to be sipping. In time, Seok-heon notices he’s developed a strange power to control things with his mind. After reconnecting with Roo-mi, whose restaurant has been shuttered by a violent gang of developers, he decides to use his powers to help her and her fellow neighbors fighting to gain their storefronts back. 

Psychokinesis feels so refreshing in the age of superhero glut by grounding the supernatural in small-scale emotional storytelling, and minimizing its use of CG to a handful of set pieces that slowly build in visual grandeur. This is the type of superhero origin story we need more of. — O.W.

How to watch: Psychokinesis is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

5. The Mist

If you’re in the mood for a supernatural monster movie, few films can match the ice cold chills and gripping suspense of The Mist. Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King novella finds a group of small town Maine folk bunkered down inside of a grocery store during a ferocious storm. But thunder and wind are far from the scariest threats; outside in a thick mist lie mysterious creatures that won’t hesitate to kill.

The Mist is an excellent hybrid of sci-fi and horror with its Lovecraftian monsters, from giant spiders to winged creatures and enormous tentacled beasts. But The Mist is less a film about the horrors of monsters per se, and more about turning a lens onto the behavior of humans when they’re forced to survive the unimaginable. This is no movie for the faint of heart; Darabont’s film is known for having one of the most devastating finales of all time. — O.W.

How to watch: The Mist is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

6. What Happened To Monday

Credit: Netflix

If you’ve ever found yourself craving more ruthless, ass-kicking action from Noomi Rapace — a natural wish after watching Prometheus or the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy — then What Happened To Monday is everything you could hope for. It’s a futuristic action extravaganza with B movie sci-fi thrills, and instead of one Rapace, you get seven.

The Swedish actress plays seven identical twin sisters in a dystopian world where having more than one child is outlawed due to overpopulation. To keep his septuplet granddaughters a secret from the fascist government, Willem Dafoe’s grandpa names each of the girls after a day of the week, corresponding to the one day they can go out in public under a singular identity. But after Monday goes missing, the sisters must launch their own investigation, which leads them to the evil machinations of Glenn Close’s mad scientist politician. What begins as an entertaining display of Rapace in multiple roles, Orphan Black-style, soon catapults into action madness full of energized fight sequences. — O.W.

How to watch: What Happened To Monday is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

7. Oblivion

Before there was Top Gun: Maverick, there was Oblivion. Tom Cruise and his Maverick director Joseph Kosinski first soared through the skies in their 2013 collaboration, a visually sublime post-apocalyptic tale replete with plenty of signature Cruise flying and running.

Jack Harper (Cruise) and Victoria (recent Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough) are a pair of drone technicians who survey the remains of a destroyed Earth after an alien war. But soon Jack discovers the truth behind the planet’s destruction, leading to a twist that’s as ridiculous as it is delightfully entertaining to watch play out. A cross between WALL-E and The Twilight Zone, Oblivion is of the variety of patient, mystery-laden sci-fi flicks with minimal dialogue and dazzling slow-mo space visuals. But worry not, there’s plenty of high-octane action sequences that remind you this is indeed a Tom Cruise vehicle. — O.W.

How to watch: Oblivion is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

8. Oxygen

In this survival thriller, Mélanie Laurent suddenly wakes up inside a cryogenic pod. She has no idea who she is, where she is, why she’s there — and she only has 90 minutes of oxygen left. Struggling to solve all of these mysteries with nothing but the pod’s A.I. robot assistant, Laurent’s anonymous protagonist begins recalling fragmented memories to piece together her past. The rest of the plot is best left unsaid, but if you’re a fan of contained sci-fi thrillers that do a lot with a little, Oxygen will satisfy. It’s both a strong acting showcase for Laurent in essentially a one-woman show, and it emphasizes the emotional and suspenseful power of POV cinematography, which French director Alexandre Aja, most known for his horror films like High Tension and Maniac, has utilized well in the past. — O.W.

How to watch: Oxygen is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

9. Sleight

Sleight is just the film for those who prefer a touch of sci-fi in a dramatic story grounded in reality. In this feature debut from J.D. Dillard (Sweetheart, Devotion), Jacob Latimore’s Bo is a young man raising his sister (Storm Reid) alone in Los Angeles. His passion is performing street magic, but his main hustle is pushing drugs for a dealer at night. Where the sci-fi comes in is Bo’s arm, which has an electromagnetic implant that allows him to pull off his secret tricks, making anything with metal float or fly across the air.

Ultimately, Sleight is a simple story about a young man trying to survive in a dangerous, violent situation — and the film does get quite violent at times. But with a cyborg as our main protagonist, the story gets a more elevated and suspenseful touch. It’s a reminder that science fiction can coexist in, and help us manage, the harshness of the world we encounter every day. — O.W.

How to watch: Sleight is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

10. Okja

Few filmmakers have taken on the behemoth of capitalism with as much wit, style, and enthralling storytelling as South Korean master Bong Joon-ho. The Parasite and Snowpiercer filmmaker once again explores the evils of corporate greed and class inequality in Okja, the most heartbreaking film about a giant pig you’ll ever see. 

Part adventure buddy comedy, part sci-fi fantasy, and part a takedown of the meat industry, Okja tells the story of farm girl Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun), her best friend Okja (a genetically modified “superpig” that resembles a cuddly hippo), a CEO supervillain (Tilda Swinton), a kooky zoologist (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a band of anarchists. Okja perfectly blends the comedic histrionics of chase sequences with an incredibly sweet but heartbreaking tale of rebellion, and has a whole lot to say as well. A warning: You may leave this movie a vegetarian. — O.W.

How to watch: Okja is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

11. I Am Mother

Credit: Netflix

I Am Mother is another addition to the post-apocalyptic genre where robots reign and humanity is scarce. We meet an A.I. robot named Mother (voiced by Rose Byrne) who, while overseeing a bunker of human embryos, has decided to raise one, a girl named Daughter (Clara Rugaard). Now a teenager, Daughter has learned everything from her robotic caregiver, including the fact that all humans have gone extinct. But suddenly one day a stranger arrives (a delightfully badass Hilary Swank doing her best Sarah Connor) who will soon disprove everything Daughter has come to know.

Though there are dozens of sci-fi films with similar narratives, I Am Mother surpasses genre expectations with a refreshing mix of tautly directed suspense, surprising twists, and a small but mighty all-female cast. — O.W.

How to watch: I Am Mother is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

12. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

While the finale to the Hunger Games saga may not be the best film in the franchise, director Francis Lawrence uses its lengthy runtime to give a worthy and memorable ending to Suzanne Collins’s epic dystopian tale.

Picking up after the cliffhanger of Mockingjay – Part 1, when Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) attempts to kill Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) shortly after the pair reunite, the film skyrockets into all-out war against President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Katniss, along with her massive star squad of revolutionaries, including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Boggs (Mahershala Ali), head into the Capital. From a spewing eruption of black oil to terrifying lizard mutants, Katniss faces it all. Balancing quiet emotional exchanges between characters with explosive action, and, most notably, telling a complex story about power, corruption, and the moral quandaries of an insurrectionary revolution, Mockingjay – Part 2 is a thrilling sci-fi YA blockbuster with a lot on its mind. — O.W.

How to watch: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is now on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

13. Project Power

In Project Power, a new drug has just been introduced on the streets of New Orleans that gives people superpowers for five minutes; think Limitless meets X-Men. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s local cop teams up with Jamie Foxx’s Art, the initial test subject of the Power pill, and a young dealer (Dominique Fishback, easily the film’s standout) to track down the military distributor behind the drug. 

While Power Power‘s story veers into overcomplicated and often silly territory, what’s most fun about the sci-fi action hybrid is the uniqueness of the powers on display. Everyone reacts differently to the pill, from getting bulletproof skin to Hulk-like strength, and becoming a human torch to growing bendable rubber bones. Directing duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman definitely deliver on the zaniness of all that could happen when superpowers go awry. — O.W.

How to watch: Project Power is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

14. Bird Box

Director Susanne Bier’s Bird Box doesn’t work particularly well as a horror movie; the protagonists aren’t likable enough to care about, and the scares are decidedly lame. But as a sci-fi concept, the apocalypse arriving as a swarm of invisible monsters, who, when seen, drive their victims to horrible deaths by suicide, is appetizingly intense. (That’s what landed this movie on our best monster movies list!)

Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, and the rest of Bird Box’s stellar cast lead a devastating journey through this demonic, post-apocalyptic world, combining the thriller, action, and sci-fi genres. The result is an adequately complex imagining of how the world would contend with such creatures, and, though its relatively low-tech, manages to keep itself grounded in tense realism. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Bird Box(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

15. See You Yesterday

Eden Duncan-Smith is C.J. Walker, a gifted high school science prodigy who ventures to build a time machine after her brother is killed by the police. With the help of her best friend, she tries to save her brother’s life — but she’ll soon learn that changing the past doesn’t come without consequences. 

Written by Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol, and directed by Bristol, this science-fiction adventure is the perfect combination of teenage hijinks and emotional depth. We’re on one hell of a ride, but we never forget the stakes these young characters are facing. It’s captivating, fun, and a much-needed fresh take on a classic genre. Science-fiction films that center Black lives and Black stories have long been a rarity, but with more A+ entries like See You Yesterday, they’ll hopefully become the norm.—Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor (* )

How to watch: See You Yesterday(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

16. Code 8

Code 8 imagines a world where people with superpowers exist, but after spurring on a second industrial revolution they’ve been replaced by automation and relegated to the bottom rung of society. That’s the reality Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) is living as an “Electric” powered individual who just wants to make enough money to help his terminally ill mom (Kari Matchett).

Out of options and presented with an unexpected money-making opportunity, the good-hearted Connor reluctantly turns to crime. This stylish Canadian crowdfunded feature directed by Jeff Chan lands a little on the nose at times, but an intriguing premise and strong central cast — which also includes Stephen Amell and Sung Kang — keeps things moving at an entertaining clip. — Adam Rosenberg, Senior Reporter

How to watch: Code 8(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

17. Space Sweepers

Credit: Netflix

In Space Sweepers‘ not-terribly-distant future of 2092, Earth has become a polluted wasteland while the wealthiest and most powerful individuals live in a utopian, corporate-owned orbital space station. The story follows a crew of space sweepers, Earth-dwellers who scrape out a living by cleaning up orbital trash and selling it. Their tough but peaceful existence is shattered one day when, mixed in among the trash, they find a little girl named Dorothy (Park Ye-rin) who, it turns out, may be an android fitted with a powerful bomb. But the plan they hatch to ransom Dorothy off to the terrorists who are looking for her goes awry as she spends more time aboard the ship. It’s not the most original story in sci-fi history, but gorgeous visuals, a strong cast, and careful plotting combine to make this two-plus hour journey — billed as the first space blockbuster from Korea — breeze by. — A.R.

How to watch: Space Sweepers(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

18. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

If you’ve ever wondered what E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial might have been like with more mischievous claymation animals, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon might be for you. The Aardman Animation film drops an adorable baby alien named Lu-La into Mossy Bottom Farm, where she becomes fast friends with the equally playful Shaun — but needs him to grow up just a little bit so she can get back home.

Silly, sweet, and soothing, Farmageddon is a galactic trip the whole family can enjoy. — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor

How to watch: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

19. Advantageous

Jennifer Phang’s Advantageous may involve some fantastical inventions, but the principles and problems that shape its universe are firmly rooted in our own. Jacqueline Kim stars as Gwen, a single mother who loses her job after her employer decides to replace her with a younger, more racially ambiguous spokesmodel. In desperation, she considers a procedure that would transfer her consciousness into a more acceptable new body — but that comes at great cost.

Combining thoughtful analysis of race, gender, and class with a touching story of a mother’s love for her daughter, Advantageous is the kind of low-key sci-fi that may inspire you to look a little deeper at the world already around you. — A.H.

How to watch: Advantageous(Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new tab).

20. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Take your typical family road trip comedy, toss in a robot apocalypse, and top it all off with a heavy smattering of meme-worthy filters, doodles, and GIFs, and you might end up with something like The Mitchells vs. The Machines: a truly fun-for-the-whole-family feature that hinges on whether an artsy teen (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) and her Luddite dad (voiced by Danny McBride) can set aside their differences long enough to save all of humanity from being launched into space by Siri Pal.

Come for the jokes about our impending AI-led dystopia, stay for the heart-tugging moments of Mitchell family bonding. Seriously, we might never hear T.I. and Rihanna’s “Live Your Life” without tearing up ever again. — A.H. (*)

How to watch: The Mitchells vs. The Machines is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from another Mashable streaming list.